Amid speculations that the Governor West Bengal M.K. Narayanan may face the axe, the Governor told the reporters here on Wednesday that he is “yet to resign.” However, he has not clarified if he is going to resign soon, following his telephonic conversation with the officials of Home Ministry on Tuesday.
“I have not resigned as yet. I am not obliged to tell you what I do. I will let you know the moment I take the decision.”
He was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a cultural event in south Kolkata.
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This becomes important in the context of the Trinamool Congress government showing indications that it will firmly stand by Mr. Narayanan if the Centre tries to replace him. State’s Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said that the “Governor should not be removed due to narrow minded party politics.”
Mr Narayanan will also attend other events through out the week, as per schedule, Governor’s office told The Hindu . Meanwhile, reports suggest that Mr Narayanan’s office has “refrained from” taking appointments and scheduling programmes for the Governor.
However, the State’s Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met the Governor on Tuesday night fuelling speculation that Mr Narayanan will be replaced along with other Governors appointed by the UPA government.
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“But we have no official announcement to make,” the officer in Governor’s office said.
Though nothing came out of the meeting between the Governor and the Chief Minister, it initiated speculation that Mr Narayanan is stepping down. The statement of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister, Firhad Hakim, also indicated that the Governor is resigning, following phone calls from Union Home Ministry.
State’s Minister for Urban Development Firhad Hakim said that his party does not "expect" replacement of the Governors with the change of government in the Centre.
“There is a constitutional obligation...one government goes and another comes but we should not disturb the constitutional frame work, I do not think it is appropriate,” Mr Hakim told the journalists on Tuesday.
Mr. Hakim said that constitutional posts “should not be disturbed”, while CPI(M)’s State secretary Biman Basu refused to get drawn in to the controversy.